Abstract

Jan Brandys was born on November 13, 1886 in Pawłowice-Debina, near Pszczyna in Upper Silesia. In the years 1908-1912 he studied at the Faculty of Theology of the University of Wrocław. He was ordained a priest on 22^nd June 1912. He worked in several parishes of the Katowice diocese. In 1918 he was appointed military chaplain. He fought in the first and third Silesian Uprising. He took part in the Polish-Bolshevik war in 1920. He was heavily involved in the plebiscite that took place in 1921 in Upper Silesia. After the end of the plebiscite in December 1922, he took over the office of parish priest in Brzeziny Śląskie, and from October 1933 he became parish priest of St. Barbara in Chorzów. After the outbreak of World War II, he evacuated to save his life and headed towards Romania. Through Romania, Yugoslavia and Italy he reached France. In 1940, he became the Head of Chaplaincy of the Carpathian Rifle Brigade in Syria, and in 1941, he became the Head of Chaplaincy of the entire Polish Army in the Middle East. He stayed in the Middle East until 1947. He then settled in Great Britain in London, where he lived for the rest of his life. He became deeply involved in the pastoral, social and political life of Polish emigration. He held offices in the National Council, the Christian Democratic Club, the Association of Polish Priests in Great Britain, the Foreign Affairs, Culture and Education Committee, the Military Commission, the National Treasury, the Court of Honor, and the Special Commission. He was Dean of the London Deanery. He died on February 27^th 1970 in London. The funeral took place on 5^th of March the same year. He was buried in the cemetery of St. Patrick in Leytonstone, London.